Name That Trauma :: Reader Brad H. on a Forbidden Room

I saw a film as a kid and the only scene I remember is that there was a group of people at a house and seems like they had been warned to stay out of a certain room. One of them went into it and ended up walking in circles, staring up at the light bulb, in a trance. That’s all I remember and it’s been bothering me for 25 years. I know it’s not much to go on but if anyone would know it’ll be you guys.

Thanks,

— Brad

UNK SEZ: Brad H, I think (hope) I’ve got this covered! This sounds like one of my favorites and it’s a bit of a kindertrauma for me too even though I saw it when I was much older. I’m thinking it must be the segment from SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT entitled “The Green Light”. In it a bunch of frat guys dare each other to stay in an old abandoned house and end up eerily hypnotized and swarming under a green light bulb like crazed moths. Read my review HERE and check out the clip(s) below!

“Screams” is pretty good, but what Brad describes is almost infinitely creepier. Isn’t that always the way? I would love to find a movie with just some suburban ranch home that has a room next to the sewing room, with a padlock on the door. “Hey, why do you guys keep this room locked up?” “Uh, we don’t talk about that.” “What, did someone DIE in there?” “No, it’s…hard to explain.” “Is it your sex dungeon? OMG, it’s totally a sex room, isn’t it?!” “No, just STOP asking.” And one night someone breaks into the room during a party and there’s just this naked bulb in the ceiling and about a dozen emaciated people staring at it with this beatific look on their faces but their legs have withered and won’t support them and they could never leave the room because their bodies won’t even digest food anymore. But they’re not dead because the light is just so…fascinating. And the breaker-inner looks around in horror and then looks up at the light, and this look starts to appear on his face, and he sinks down to the floor, just staring, staring, staring….